A day after Jimmy Makloski of Pueblo sat atop the scoreboard in an event in Dayton, Nev., AJ Morris of Aspen did the honors on Wednesday at the halfway point of a tourney in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Morris (left) shot a 5-under-par 67 in the second round to move into a tie for the top spot at 9-under 135. Morris had a spectacular finish in round 2, making two eagles and a birdie in his last five holes. He finished the day with two eagles, three birdies and two bogeys.

With either the top 21 or 22 finishers and ties after four rounds advancing to the Second Stage depending on the site, eight players with strong Colorado connections are on the good side of the cut line with two days left. That includes Makloski, who’s in second place in Nevada as a second-round 69 put him at 7-under 137 and one out of the lead. Makloski carded an eagle, three birdies and two bogeys on Wednesday.

Other locals in the top 20 after Wednesday are Josh Creel, James Love and Chris Gilman in Nevada; Beau Schoolcraft and Riley Arp in St. George, Utah; and Jamie Marshall in The Woodlands, Texas. Schoolcraft shot a 6-under 64 on Wednesday to move into 10th place.

(See all the local scores and places below.)

Last month, four players with strong Colorado connections advanced from a First Stage Q-school tournament to Second Stage — Zahkai Brown of Golden, fellow former CSU golfer Blake Cannon, and former CU players Yannik and Jeremy Paul.

Next up, there will be five Second Stage Q-school tournmaments from Oct. 30-Nov. 9. The Final Stage is Dec. 6-9 in Chandler, Ariz., where 2018 Web.com Tour cards will be distributed.

Here are this week’s First-Stage scores for all the players with strong Colorado ties:

Q-School First Stage (Oct. 9-12)
Dayton Nev. (Top 22 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
2. Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 68-69–137
7. Former CU golfer Josh Creel 70-71–141
16. James Love, Denver 71-72–143
16. Former DU golfer Chris Gilman 74-69–143
69. Former Coloradan Eric Hallberg 80-75–155

St. George, Utah (Top 21 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
10. Beau Schoolcraft, Denver 69-64–133
18. Riley Arp, Fort Collins 68-67–135
32. Steven Kupcho, Westminster 70-67–137
43. Tom Gempel, Lone Tree 68-71–139
59. Cole Nygren, Longmont 71-71–142
62. Mike Schoolcraft, Denver 73-70–143

The Woodlands, Texas (Top 22 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
10. Jamie Marshall, Lone Tree 68-70–138
31. Former Coloradan Tom Whitney 67-76–143

West Palm Beach, Fla. (Top 21 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
T1. AJ Morris, Aspen 68-67–135
 

A total of 14 locals are spread out over four First Stage tournaments across the country. And it’s “so far, so good” for nearly half of them.

Jimmy Makloski (left) of Pueblo, a former Colorado State University golfer, shares the lead at a First Stage tournament in Dayton, Nev., where the top 22 finishers and ties after four rounds will advance to the Second Stage. Makloski made five birdies and one bogey for a 68 on Tuesday.

Also in the top 10 at that site after round 1 are Josh Creel, who started his college golf career at the University of Colorado (sixth place at 70) and James Love of Denver (10th place at 71).

At The Woodlands, Texas, where 22 will advance on Friday, former Coloradan Tom Whitney fired a 5-under-par 67 and shares fourth place, while Jamie Marshall of Lone Tree opened with a 68, good for seventh place.

And in West Palm Beach, Fla., where 21 will make the Second Stage, Aspen’s AJ Morris carded a 4-under-par 68 and he’s in eighth place in that field.

Last month, four players with strong Colorado connections advanced from a First Stage Q-school tournament to Second Stage — Zahkai Brown of Golden, fellow former CSU golfer Blake Cannon, and former CU players Yannik and Jeremy Paul.

Next up, there will be five Second Stage Q-school tournmaments from Oct. 30-Nov. 9. The Final Stage is Dec. 6-9 in Chandler, Ariz., where 2018 Web.com Tour cards will be distributed.

Here are this week’s First-Stage scores for all the players with strong Colorado ties:

Q-School First Stage (Oct. 9-12)
Dayton Nev. (Top 22 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
T1. Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 68
6. Former CU golfer Josh Creel 70
10. James Love, Denver 71
31. Former DU golfer Chris Gilman 74
68. Former Coloradan Eric Hallberg 80

St. George, Utah (Top 21 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
24. Tom Gempel, Lone Tree 68
24. Riley Arp, Fort Collins 68
32. Beau Schoolcraft, Denver 69
41. Steven Kupcho, Westminster 70
49. Cole Nygren, Longmont 71
64. Mike Schoolcraft, Denver 73

The Woodlands, Texas (Top 22 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
4. Former Coloradan Tom Whitney 67
7. Jamie Marshall, Lone Tree 68

West Palm Beach, Fla. (Top 21 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
8. AJ Morris, Aspen 68
 

It isn’t even an every-year occurrence.

It’s fair to say it happens rarely, especially since Q-school is no longer is a direct route to the PGA Tour.

Prior to this year, the last Colorado golfer to land a PGA Tour card for the first time was Denver native Mark Hubbard, who made the grade in 2014 and played on the world’s top tour for three seasons before losing his card.

But on Sunday, another Denver native formally joined the elite group. Wyndham Clark, who grew up south of the Denver metro area and graduated from Valor Christian High School, landed his PGA Tour card by finishing in the top 25 on the Web.com Tour’s regular-season money list in 2018.

Clark — winner of the 2010 CGA Amateur and the 2017 Pac-12 individual title, both at Boulder Country Club — certainly didn’t finish the Web.com Tour season the way he wanted as he missed cuts in four of his last five events, including this weekend’s WinCo Foods Portland Open.

But the 24-year-old did the necessary work in the first six months (and one day) of the year. In his first 15 Web events of the season, Clark recorded four top-five finishes with a second, a third, a fourth and a fifth. With $187,817 for the year, he finished 16th on the Web’s regular-season money list.

“It was a tough week but an awesome year and I’m so happy to be getting my card,” Clark said to ColoradoGolf.org via text this weekend.

Clark, the 2017 Pac-12 Player of the Year at Oregon and the 2014 Big 12 Player of the Year at Oklahoma State before transferring, turned pro just 14 months ago. In addition to his Web.com Tour starts, he’s played in eight PGA Tour events in 2017 and early ’18, making two cuts and finishing as high as 17th.

“I knew and believed I could do it (earn a PGA Tour card) in one short season,” Clark texted. “I just had to stay focused and play my game and let the results take care of themselves — and they did. It’s an awesome feeling and I can’t wait to be on the Tour.”

But Clark’s Web.com Tour season isn’t quite over — just his regular season. The Web.com Tour Finals begin on Thursday in Columbus, Ohio, and Clark is in the field there. He’ll try to improve his 2018-19 PGA Tour status with his performances throughout the four-event Finals, which culminate with the Web.com Tour Championship Sept. 20-23 in Atlantic Beach, Fla.

The 2018-19 wraparound season for the PGA Tour begins with the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., Oct. 4-7.

Joining Clark in the Web.com Tour Finals — thanks to finishing in the top 75 on the regular-season money list — will be Jim Knous of Littleton and Hubbard. That will also guarantee Knous and Hubbard full Web.com Tour status in 2019 if they don’t get PGA Tour cards through the Web Finals.

Knous, a former Colorado School of Mines golfer, finished a Web-career-best-tying fourth on Sunday at the Portland Open and 52nd on the Web regular-season money list. He shot rounds of 70-67-68-67 for a 12-under-par 272 total, which left him six strokes behind winner Sunjae Im.

It was Knous second top-four finish on the Web.com Tour since July 1.

Meanwhile, Hubbard placed 40th on Sunday in Portland, leaving him in the 72nd position on the final Web regular-season money list. Hubbard went 66-70-70-73 for a 5-under 279 total.

A local player who like Clark missed the cut at the Portland Open was at the center of an unfortunate incident during Friday’s round. ESPN reported that part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler accidentally injured a fan when he slammed an iron on the ground and against his foot and the head came loose and hit a spectator in the head. ESPN indicated that Web.com Tour rules official Orlando Pope said the fan required six stitches, being treated on site then at a hospital before being released.

“It was a very freakish accident,” Pope told ESPN. “Kevin is devastated. He had trouble trying to finish the round. He was quite worried and felt so bad.”

Saunders, Laird Advance to PGA Tour Playoffs: A year after narrowly missing qualifying for the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Playoffs, former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders made the “postseason” for the first time on Sunday.

Saunders, a grandson of Arnold Palmer. finished 45th at the regular-season-ending Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., which left him at 120th in the FedExCup standings. The top 125 are fully exempt on the PGA Tour next season and advance to the playoffs.

Also tying for 45th place at the Wyndham and making the playoffs was former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird. He’s 113th in the FedExCup standings.

The opening playoff event is The Northern Trust in Paramus, N.J., starting Thursday. The top 100 in the FedExCup standings after that will advance to the Dell Technologies Championship.

Notable on Tour This Week: Three players with strong Colorado connections finished in the top 11 Sunday in the PGA Tour Canada’s Players Cup in Winnipeg. James Love of Denver tied for fifth, while fellow Coloradan Michael Schoolcraft and former Louisville resident George Cunningham shared 11th place. For Love, it was his best PGA Tour Canada showing in more than two years. He went 66-67-70-69 for a 16-under-par 272 total, which left him six behind champion Tyler McCumber. Schoolcraft, with his second top-11 showing of the month, and Cunningham checked in at 274. … Former University of Colorado golfer Steve Jones, who has been sidelined by knee surgery, according to the USGA, played in his first PGA Tour Champions event since mid-April, finishing 70th at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open (68-80-76). Jones is best known for winning the 1996 U.S. Open.
 

Former Rams Riley Arp of Fort Collins and Jimmy Makloski of Pueblo, along with A.J. Morris of Aspen advanced to Stage 2 from different First Stage sites.

Riley (pictured) qualified on the number at a First Stage tournament in St. George Utah, where the top 24 finishers and ties advanced. Arp bogeyed his final hole and shot an even-par 70 on Friday, leaving him tied for 22nd place at 8-under 272.

Makloski made it with a stroke to spare in Dayton, Nev., where the top 22 finishers and ties will move on. The former CoBank Colorado Open low amateur closed with a 1-under-par 71 to post a 5-under 283 total, good for a share of 16th place.

And Morris also finished 16th, but in West Palm Beach, Fla., where 22 and ties advanced. Morris carded a 1-over-par 73 on Friday, leaving him at 3-under 285 overall.

(Updated Oct. 14) Meanwhile, after being in 20th place going into Saturday’s final round at a First Stage tournament in Pine Mountain, Ga., James Love of Denver failed to advance. With the top 22 finishers and ties earning spots into Stage 2, Love finished 33rd at 7-under-par 281, which left him four strokes shy of moving on. Despite a final-round 66, Cole Nygren of Longmont tied for 38th at 282.

Four players with strong Colorado connections punched their tickets to the Second Stage last week: Wyndham Clark, former University of Colorado golfers Derek Tolan and Justin Bardgett, and Parker Edens of Greeley.

The Second Stage of Web Q-school will be held at five sites between Oct. 31-Nov. 7, and the Final Stage Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.

Here are the scores for all the players with strong Colorado connections who are competing this week:

Dayton, Nev. Oct. 10-13 (Top 22 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Qualified for Stage 2
16. Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 72-73-67-71–283

St. George, Utah Oct. 10-13 (Top 24 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Qualified for Stage 2
22. Riley Arp, Fort Collins 72-64-66-70–272
Failed to Advance
73. Nathaniel Goddard, Fort Collins 73-74-73-74–294

The Woodlands, Texas Oct. 10-13 (Top 24 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Failed to Advance
39. Former Coloradan Alex Gutesha 75-74-71-71–291
63. Jacob Lestishen, Lone Tree 75-76-71-76–298

West Palm Beach, Fla. Oct. 10-13 (Top 22 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Qualified for Stage 2
16. A.J. Morris, Aspen 71-71-70-73–285

(Updated Oct. 14) Pine Mountain, Ga. Oct. 12-14 (Top 22 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Failed to Advance
33. James Love, Denver 71-67-70-73–281
36. Cole Nygren, Longmont 73-70-73-66–282
 

Jimmy Makloski (pictured) of Pueblo, Riley Arp of Fort Collins and A.J. Morris of Aspen are in the top 20 heading into Friday’s final round of three different First Stage tournaments.

Arp backed up his second-round 64 with a 4-under-par 66 on Thursday in St. George, Utah, where the top 24 finishers and ties advance. Arp stands in ninth place at 8-under-par 202. He’s made 13 birdies over the last two rounds.

Morris carded a 2-under-par 70 on Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla, where the top 22 and ties will move on. Morris’ 4-under 212 total leaves him in 10th place.

And Makloski jumped up the scoreboard in Dayton, Nev., thanks to a 5-under-par 67 on Thursday that included six birdies. The former Ram shares 16th place at 4-under 212, with the top 22 finishers and ties advancing.

Four players with strong Colorado connections punched their tickets to the Second Stage last week: Wyndham Clark, former University of Colorado golfers Derek Tolan and Justin Bardgett, and Parker Edens of Greeley.

The Second Stage of Web Q-school will be held at five sites between Oct. 31-Nov. 7, and the Final Stage Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.

Here are the scores for all the players with strong Colorado connections who are competing this week:

Dayton, Nev. Oct. 10-13 (Top 22 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
16. Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 72-73-67–212

St. George, Utah Oct. 10-13 (Top 24 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
9. Riley Arp, Fort Collins 72-64-66–202
71. Nathaniel Goddard, Fort Collins 73-74-73–220

The Woodlands, Texas Oct. 10-13 (Top 24 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
42. Former Coloradan Alex Gutesha 75-74-71–220
51. Jacob Lestishen, Lone Tree 75-76-71–222

West Palm Beach, Fla. Oct. 10-13 (Top 22 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
10. A.J. Morris, Aspen 71-71-70–212

Pine Mountain, Ga. Oct. 12-14 (Top 22 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
39. James Love, Denver 71
54. Cole Nygren, Longmont 73
 

Last weekend essentially marked the end of 2016 from a competitive standpoint for the world’s top golf tours. And an impressive 2016 it was in many respects from a Colorado perspective.

Players with strong Colorado connections had plenty of highlights during the year — whether that be victories, spectacular scores, outstanding season-long performances or otherwise.

Here’s a sampling:

— Jobe’s Impressive Season: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe had a rookie year to remember on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. Jobe, who lived in Colorado from 1970 to ’99, finished 23rd on the Champions’ Charles Schwab Cup points list, winning more than $900,000. Though he didn’t win in 2016 after being medalist in Champions Q-school a year ago, Jobe (pictured above) posted seven top-10 finishes. And the former Colorado Open champion came up big in some of the most prestigious tournaments of the year, with three top-fives in Champions majors (Senior PGA, Senior Players and the Senior British Open), and two top-10s in the inaugural Schwab Cup Playoffs.

— Tour Victories: Several players who have significant Colorado ties posted wins on major worldwide tours (or co-sanctioned events) in 2016.

Former Castle Pines resident Esteban Toledo notched his fourth PGA Tour Champions triumph, this one in February at the Allianz Championship in a playoff over Billy Andrade.

Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda recorded his third Web.com Tour victory in April as he prevailed in the Brasil Champions.

In July, former University of Denver golfer Espen Kofstad notched his third European Challenge Tour victory — and first since 2012 — prevailing in a playoff at the D+D Real Slovakia Challenge.

And, on Sunday, Denver-area resident Duval Duval recorded his first win in a nationally televised tournament in 15 years by teaming with stepson — and fellow Colorado resident — Nick Karavites to claim the title in the PNC Father/Son Challenge.

— In the Spotlight: Two former DU golfers — Kofstad and Oskar Arvidsson — qualified for two of the biggest tournaments of the year. With his Slovakia Challenge victory, Kofstad earned a spot on Norway’s Olympic squad, placing 43rd individually. And Arvidsson qualified for the British Open, though he missed the cut there.

And although they’re still amateurs, Coloradans Jennifer Kupcho and Hannah Wood advanced to the U.S. Women’s Open, arguably the top women’s tournament in the world, though neither made the 36-hole cut.

— A Local Presence on LPGA Tour: Going into this month, the last time a player with a strong Colorado connection earned an LPGA Tour card through Q-school was 2012, when former Longmont resident Kelly Jacques and former DU golfers Stephanie Sherlock and Kimberly Kim landed status on the 2013 LPGA circuit.

But early this month, the drought ended when Jenny Coleman (left) became the first former University of Colorado golfer to secure a spot on the LPGA Tour. By finishing 29th in the final stage of Q-school, Coleman will have conditional status on the top women’s circuit in the world in 2017. The former Buff played on the Symetra Tour in 2016, finishing 31st on the money list.

— Going Low: Local players took their turns shooting exceptionally low scores in professional events in 2016. Denver resident — and former DU player — James Love carded a 12-under-par 59 in the first round of a Web.com Tour Q-school tournament in St. George, Utah in October. And Tom Whitney of Fort Collins, a regular on PGA Tour Latinoamerica in 2016, fired a 12-under-par 60 in the final round to win his second consecutive Waterloo Open. On the Latinoameric circuit, Whitney finished 11th on the 2016 money list, with his best finish being second in the Roberto De Vicenzo Punta del Este Open in October.

— Hubbard Extends PGA Tour Stay: Denver native Mark Hubbard hasn’t yet posted a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour, but he’s performed well enough that 2016-17 will be his third consecutive season playing a full schedule on the top tour in the world. Hubbard, winner of both of the CGA’s top junior championships in 2007, is on the verge of going over $1 million in career earnings as he currently stands at $971,522. Hubbard’s best showing in 2016 came at the Puerto Rico Open, where he placed 15th.

— Near-Miss for Laird: Also on the PGA Tour, former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird finished runner-up in the RBC Canadian Open in July, marking his best showing on that circuit in more than three years. It was one of four top-10 performances for Laird in 2016.

Also scoring top-10s on the PGA Tour in 2016 was former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders, who hit the mark twice in July.

— Locals Find Home on European Tour: For the first time in recent years, two pros who played their college golf in Colorado will be regulars on the European Tour. That’s after both former CU golfer Sebastian Heisele and former DU player Espen Kofstad made the grade in the final stage of European Q-school. Heisele finished 19th there and Kofstad 25th. It will be Kofstad’s second full-time stint on the top European circuit.

— Knous Becomes Regular on Web Circuit: On the No. 2 open-age tour in the U.S., Englewood’s Jim Knous in 2017 will become the first Coloradan in two years to compete regularly on the Web.com circuit. The former Colorado School of Mines golfer earned that right by finishing 23rd Sunday in the final stage of Q-school.

— Schoolcraft Shines in Canada: On PGA Tour Canada, Denver resident Michael Schoolcraft was one of the more impressive players, posting three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up in the Cape Breton Open in September. Schoolcraft ended up ninth on the money list with $41,485.

— Wallace Strong in Final Symetra Tour Season: On the Symetra Tour, the women’s equivalent of the Web.com Tour, former University of Colorado golfer Jessica Wallace posted three top-10 showings, including a runner-up in the IOA Championship in February. Despite finishing 19th on the 2016 Symetra Tour money list, Wallace decided to stop playing professionally; instead she plans to become an accountant. Also notching a second-place Symetra finish in 2016 was Denver resident Becca Huffer in the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout in October.
 

The top 19 finishers and ties after Saturday’s fourth round in McKinney, Texas earned spots in the third and final stage of Q-school, set for Dec. 8-11 in Winter Garden, Fla. But no Coloradans placed in the top 30. (Four players with strong Colorado connections advanced last week to the final stage: University of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul, former Buff Josh Creel, former Colorado State player Parker Edens and former Colorado School of Mines golfer Jim Knous.) Anyone who makes the final stage is guaranteed at least conditional status on the 2017 Web circuit.

On Saturday, the top Colorado finisher was rookie professional David Oraee of Greeley, a former CU golfer who finished 33rd, missing the top 19 by three strokes after a final-round 68 put him at 11-under-par 277 total. Also falling short on Saturday in Texas were Gunner Wiebe of Aurora and James Love of Denver (both at 278), Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch (283) and Zahkai Brown of Arvada (288).

Here are all the players with strong Colorado connections who competed this week in second-stage Web.com Q-school tournaments:

McKinney, Texas Nov. 9-12 (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Advance)
Failed to Advance to Final Stage
33. David Oraee of Greeley 71-66-72-68–277
36. James Love of Denver 72-69-65-72–278
36. Gunner Wiebe of Aurora 72-63-71-72–278
58. Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch 68-74-69-72–283
71. Zahkai Brown of Arvada 69-75-68-76–288

Plantation, Fla. Nov. 8-11 (Top 18 Finishers and Ties Advance)
Failed to Advance to Final Stage
59. Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett 75-74-70-73–291
 

But a couple of locals are very close.

The top 19 finishers and ties after Saturday’s fourth round will advance to the third and final stage of Q-school. Anyone who makes the final stage — set for Dec. 8-11 in Winter Garden, Fla. — will be guaranteed at least conditional status on the 2017 Web circuit.

After Friday’s third round, the top local players are James Love of Denver and Gunner Wiebe of Aurora. Even though both are 10 under par through three days, they’re in 20th place — one spot out of what is necessary to advance.

Love (pictured), the former University of Denver golfer who shot 59 in a first-stage tournament last month, carded a 7-under-par 65 on Friday after playing his first nine holes in 6-under 30. He finished with eight birdies and a bogey on the day.

Also at 10-under 206 is Wiebe, who carded a third-round 71.

Had the tournament ended on Friday, 11-under-par 205 would have been the cut-off point for advancing to the final stage of Q-school in McKinney.

In second-stage tournaments held last week, CU golfer Jeremy Paul, former Buff Josh Creel, former Colorado State player Parker Edens and former Colorado School of Mines golfer Jim Knous all punched their tickets into the final stage.

Here are all the players with strong Colorado connections who are competing this week in second-stage Web.com Q-school tournaments:

McKinney, Texas Nov. 9-12 (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Advance)
20. James Love of Denver 72-69-65–206
20. Gunner Wiebe of Aurora 72-63-71–206
42. David Oraee of Greeley 71-66-72–209
50. Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch 68-74-69–211
57. Zahkai Brown of Arvada 69-75-68–212

Plantation, Fla. Nov. 8-11 (Top 18 Finishers and Ties Advance)
Failed to Advance to Final Stage
59. Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett 75-74-70-73–291
 

Who would have guessed this day would ever come?

The top golfers in the most recent watch lists for the ANNIKA Award (given at the end of the season to the national player of the year in women’s college golf) and the Haskins Award (presented to the men’s national player of the year in college golf) are both Colorado residents.

Not Californians, not Texans, not Floridians, but Coloradans — in this case Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster (a sophomore at Wake Forest) and Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch (a fifth-year senior at Oregon). Both never finished outside the top 10 in their fall college tournaments, with Kupcho winning her last two events of the autumn, becoming the only NCAA Division I woman in the country to win more than one full-field event in the first two months of the season.

We’ll delve more into college golf when both the men’s and women’s fall season is complete, but the rankings of Kupcho and Clark are two of the many highlights of the 2016 tournament season in Colorado and for Colorado golfers. With the tourney season in the Centennial state now complete, it’s worth taking a look back at some of the top moments of the year:

— Kupcho (pictured) is a good place to start given that she’s had a season few Colorado women golfers have ever matched. That includes becoming the first player to win three straight CWGA majors since the late 1980s as she swept the 2016 Match Play and Stroke Play titles. And the 19-year-old did it by amazing margins — 12 and 10 in a 36-hole match play finale, and 19 shots in the Stroke Play. In the Stroke Play, she set the women’s course record at historic Denver Country Club with a 7-under-par 65, breaking the previous mark of 68 established by world-renowned athlete Babe Zaharias on July 3, 1946.

Out of the state, besides notching her first two college victories, Kupcho placed sixth in the women’s NCAA Championship Finals as a freshman. And she and fellow Coloradan Hannah Wood both qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open, arguably the top women’s tournament in the world.

It’s little wonder why Kupcho was recently named the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame’s Golf Person of the Year.

— As for Clark, he posted three top-six finishes in his first three tournaments at Oregon after transferring from Oklahoma State. Over the summer, Clark qualified for his fifth U.S. Amateur — quite a feat for a player 22 years old. And once he made it to the U.S. Am, he advanced to the round of 32 in match play out of an original field of 312.

— Though, as mentioned above, NCAA Division I golfers from Colorado accomplished plenty in 2016, it’s worth noting that two golfers from the Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference won the CGA’s top two open-division championships in 2016. Nathaniel Goddard, who wrapped up his Colorado Christian golf career last spring, prevailed in the CGA Match Play, while current University of Colorado-Colorado Springs golfer Colin Prater (left) won the CGA Amateur by five shots.

— Two of the most remarkable scores shot in tournament golf in recent months were recorded by players with strong Colorado connections. University of Colorado senior Esther Lee set the NCAA women’s record for lowest score in relation to par as she shot an 11-under-par 61 in September at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, held at the University of New Mexico’s Championship Course in Albuquerque, where Lee claimed the title.

Then last month, Denver resident James Love fired a 12-under-par 59 in a Web.com Q-school event at Sunriver Golf Course in St. George, Utah. That helped earn the former University of Denver golfer a spot in a second-stage tournament this week.

— Speaking of former DU golfers, former Pioneers had the distinction of qualifying for two of the biggest tournaments in the world in 2016.

Oskar Arvidsson earned medalist honors in a British Open qualifier in Scotland, landing a spot in the third men’s major championship of the year, where he missed the 36-hole cut.

Also this summer, Espen Kofstad qualified for the Olympics by winning a tournament on the European Challenge Tour. He finished 43rd in the men’s tourney at the Summer Games.

— Several players with strong Colorado ties made a splash in USGA championships in 2016.

Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton made it to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur for a remarkable fourth time. Earlier in the year, Eaton made the CWGA Senior Match Play the 22nd CWGA title of her career.

Also advancing to the final eight in a USGA championship was Alex Buecking of Columbine Valley, who joined former SMU teammate Jason Enloe in making the quarters of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

And CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Kyler Dunkle (left) earned a berth in the final 16 of the U.S. Amateur just a year after finishing 311th out of 312th in stroke play at the same event.

— Certainly one of the biggest oddities of the year took place at the CGA Mid-Amateur. The top finishers at the 2016 tournament looked almost identical to the 2015 version.

Not only did Jon Lindstrom win by four strokes for the second straight year, but the top four finishers were the same in 2016 as they were in 2015. In fact, they were almost in the exact same order, with the only difference being Steve Irwin tying for second this year and placing third alone in 2015. For the record, Chris Thayer tied Irwin for second and Ryan Axlund was fourth.

— Back on the college front, the CGA’s 2015 Junior Player of the Year made a remarkably quick adjustment at the next level. University of Northern Colorado freshman Coby Welch, competing in just his fourth college tournament, won the individual title at the 108-man Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational after a final-round 66 at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie.

— Also in college, Colorado State University senior Blake Cannon pulled off a remarkable feat in September, winning two college titles in one week, the first one coming at CSU’s Ram Masters Invitational at Fort Collins Country Club. This was after going his first three years as a collegian without an individual victory.

— Geoff Keffer used his first victory in the Coloado PGA Professional Championship to move into some rarefied air. Keffer subsequently received the CPGA’s Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year award for the third straight year and fourth time in the last five seasons. Only three other players have captured that honor three straight years: Bob Hold (1966-71), Vic Kline (1977-79) and Ron Vlosich (1986-88). Vlosich, by the way, qualified for his fifth U.S. Senior Open in 2016.

— Mary Weinstein (left) of Highlands Ranch had a rather remarkable run to wrap up her junior career. After winning the 5A state individual title to close out her high school career at Regis Jesuit, Weinstein won the first two Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors ever held, the Colorado Junior Amateur and the Colorado Junior PGA Championship. Then she finished strong in national events, placing 15th at the Junior PGA Championship a week after ending up fifth at the Optimist International Junior.

Not surprisingly, Weinstein was named the JGAC’s female player of the year, while AJ Ott of Fort Collins earned the male award. Ott won the boys title at the Colorado Junior PGA at Indian Tree, shooting a course-record 7-under-par 63 on day 2.

— Kent Moore‘s victory in the CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play certainly wasn’t the most prestigious victory of his career, but it did continue to expand upon a rather remarkable distinction. The Colorado Golf Hall of Famer has now claimed titles in seven different CGA individual championships — the Junior Match Play, Amateur, Match Play, Mid-Amateur, Senior Amateur, Senior Match Play and now the Super-Senior Stroke Play — an unprecedented feat in CGA competition. Moreover, he’s won CGA championships in five consecutive decades, starting with the 1973 CGA Junior Match Play at Flatirons Golf Course.

— In team competition, the amateurs broke new ground in 2016. This year marked the first time ever that amateurs from the CGA and CWGA won all three competitions in the Colorado Cup matches against the pros from the Colorado PGA — the open-division men, senior-division men and open-division women. But later in the year, the Colorado PGA earned a big team victory of its own, winning the biennial Taylor Cup matches against the Sun Country PGA for the first time since 2008.

Also on the team front, Kent Denver High School set a Colorado High School Activities Association record by winning its ninth boys golf state title. Kent captured the 3A team title this time around.

— Sherry Andonian-Smith, an instructor at Valley Country Club, made some history of her own this fall when she became the first female to win one of the Colorado PGA’s top tournaments. With a 5-under-par 139 total, she prevailed by three shots at the Colorado PGA West Chapter Championship at Aspen Glen Club.

Also scoring a first in 2016 was Alexandra Braga from Denver Country Club, who won the inaugural Colorado PGA Women’s Championship, held at Cherry Creek Country Club.

— And, let’s finish off with the biggest-money event of the year … Neil Johnson of Phoenix earned the distinction of being the first winner of the CoBank Colorado Open after the tournament more than quadrupled its first-place prize money, to $100,000. Johnson was playing in his first Colorado Open after qualifying for the tournament on Monday of championship week.

Part-time Boulder resident Jonathan Kaye, winner of two PGA Tour events, tied for second place in his first tournament in two years.
 

Adding their names to the list on Friday were James Love of Denver and Riley Arp (pictured) of Fort Collins, both of whom advanced by finishing in the top 24 and ties at a tournament in St. George, Utah.

Love, who shot a 59 in the first round (READ STORY), and Arp shared eighth place at 20-under-par 264, ending up four strokes behind medalist John Chin of Temecula, Calif.

Love, a former University of Denver golfer, finished the week with 25 birdies after posting a 2-under-par 69 on Friday. Arp shot a 5-under-par 31 on his last nine holes despite carding a double bogey on the final hole. He ended up with three eagles and 22 birdies over the four rounds, which concluded with a 65.

The local players who punched their tickets to round 2 earlier were Jim Knous, Derek Tolan, Zahkai Brown, Gunner Wiebe, Nick Mason, Jeremy Paul, Justin Bardgett, David Oraee, Josh Creel, Parker Edens, Nick Hodge and Miller Capps.

After stage 2 tournaments are held in the first half of November, the final stage of Q-school is set for Dec. 8-11 in Winter Garden, Fla.

Here are the scores for all the players with strong Colorado ties who competed this week in first-stage tournaments:

St. George, Utah (Top 24 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Advance to Stage 2
8. James Love of Denver 59-69-67-69–264
8. Riley Arp of Fort Collins 66-64-69-65–264
Failed to Advance
48. Former Coloradan Tom Kalinowski 73-72-66-68–279
60. Bryan Kruse of Westminster 70-69-75-71–285

Pine Mountain, Ga. (Top 25 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Failed to Advance
53. Jamie Marshall of Lone Tree 73-72-74-72–291

The Woodlands, Texas (Top 25 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Failed to Advance
52. Former CSU golfer Dustin Morris 71-68-79-72–290

West Palm Beach, Fla. (Top 25 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Failed to Advance
30. A.J. Morris of Aspen 74-71-72-71–288